Benton County: Title III Program

Benton County is located just below the Mississippi and Tennessee state line. It shares Mississippi county borders with Marshall on the west, Tippah on the east, Union and Lafayette on the south. Hardeman and Fayette Counties in Tennessee are to its north. The town of Ashland is the county seat and is located in the center of the county.

Benton County consists of 260,400 acres of which 68% (177,000 acres) is forestland. Sixty-eight percent of this land is in private ownership and the remainder is public land. A portion of the public forestland is the Holly Springs National Forest that is located in the southern portion of the county. Due to the amounts of forestland, forestry is the number one crop in Benton County.

The presence of adequate natural resources make Benton County an outstanding location for any industry that is seeking to start or expand a business that depends upon forest resources.

This web site is sponsored by the Benton County Board of Supervisors through Title III of the Secure Rural Schools and Community Self Determination Act of 2000.

Supervisors

• District 1: Tate King
• District 2: James "Bubba"Griffin
• District 3: Don Jeanes
• District 4: Stanley Wilkerson
• District 5: Ricky Pipkin

Other Benton Forestry Information

• Learn more about Forestry
• Benton County Forestland Demographics
• Recent Benton County news and events
• Forest History Calendar Available

Sources of Benton County Assistance

• Melvin Oatis - MSU-ES County Director - (662) 224 - 6330
• Paul Glissen - MFC County Forester - (662) 837-7777
• Britton Hatcher - MSU-ES Forestry Associate - (662) 226 - 6000
• Tim Traugott - MSU-ES Forestry Professor - (662) 226 - 6000
• Dedric Brown - MSU-ES Area Forestry Agent - (662) 369-4951
• Looking for a Registered Forester in Mississippi to help you manage your timber try the Mississippi Board of Registration for Foresters

Calendar of Events

• Forest Landowner Workshop - To be determined
• Forest Landowner Short Course - To be determined